Joshua Payne was selected as the assistant principal at Desert Shadows Middle School at a special governing board meeting on July 29.

DSMS Principal Chris Miranda said a committee consisting of staff and parents selected Payne based on his knowledge and experience.

Payne’s most recent experience was working as an assistant principal in Casa Grande, Arizona, in charge of curriculum for the Southwest Education Center, a private day school for high-needs special education students. His duties there included overseeing behavior interventions as well as coaching teachers, mentoring students, and creating and instructing the curriculum. He has also provided intervention services at several middle and high schools in Tucson as part of a Tucson Unified School District team working to improve academic success for struggling students. His teaching experience includes working as a Spanish teacher and in special education.

In his application Payne stated, “I am bilingual in Spanish, always student focused, collaborative with all stakeholders, have incredible interpersonal skills as well as extensive curriculum knowledge, Special Education knowledge, and am a systems thinker with an eye for detail.”